Technology Proficiency: Google Drive

For Help with these skills, visit the Google Drive Help center, our Drive for Desktop FAQ page.

Google DriveBasic Proficiency

Users with a basic understanding of Google Drive should be able to use Drive to organize, backup, share, and recover earlier versions of all of their files including Word, Excel, Powerpoint documents; pictures and graphics; music; and videos. They should know how to activate the Drive for Desktop client to access cloud content directly from their computer’s native file browser (Finder in Mac OS X and Explorer in Windows). Learn the benefits of using Google Drive.

Drive for Desktop

  1. Install or activate Google Drive for Desktop (Drive for Desktop is already installed on most College-owned computers)
  2. Sign into Drive for Desktop and create desktop shortcut to G: Drive
  3. Use Finder in Mac OS X or Windows Explorer to access data in the G: drive
  4. Use folders to organize files in both the web browser based interface and the G: drive
Name Change
In January 2021, Google discontinued the name “File Stream” for its desktop Drive product. The new name is Google Drive for Desktop. Over time, as Google updates their documentation, LITS pages will be updated to reflect the new name.

Web Browser Interface for Drive

    1. Understand the differences among and be able to use the basic menu items: My Drive, Shared With Me, Recent, Starred, Trash.
    2. Move files from Shared with Me or allegheny.edu domain into My Drive.
    3. Create New Files and Folders in My Drive.
    4. Upload files to Drive.
    5. Use folders to organize files.
      1. Rename folders or files.
      2. Move folders or files.
    6. Recover older versions of files.
    7. Share Files.
      1. Understand how to restrict access to certain individuals, all individuals at Allegheny, only those people at Allegheny with the link, anyone with link, public on the web (like a web site)
      2. Understand how to set permissions: view only access, allow commenting and suggesting but not editing, grant editing privileges, change ownership
      3. Shareable links
        1. Set permissions
        2. Get URL to share
      4. Share with individuals or groups
        1. Set permissions
        2. Send email with or without embedded document
    8. Search My Drive by keyword, file type, owner, and opens with.

Advanced Proficiency

  1. Set-up and use Google Drive mobile apps.
  2. Use Google shared drives.

Last revised March 17, 2015